What is in your disaster bag?

With several disasters happening this summer, I started thinking about, what if there is a disaster here? It's not that far fetched. We have had earthquakes and certainly forest fires. There have been paralyzing ice storms. And yet, I have not prepared a disaster kit. I imagine most people have not. Maybe I'm wrong about that. I decided to put one together.

What should it contain? The standard preparedness / survival bags, sold by the Red Cross are large showy red back packs. They contain anticipated supplies for protection, nutrition, comfort, injuries, and communication, for a 3-day emergency. Red Cross regards 3 days as prudent duration to prepare a kit for, but also have a supply of food in the home. I think that is for a week supply, not in freezer because of possible power outages.

I don't want a bright red bag, because I think it would attract unwanted attention. I think a large, sturdy but light weight back pack would do. As for contents, I'm not sure yet, but using the Red Cross bags as a guide.

It is not necessary to put bag together in one day. It can be a project, as long as one has a goal such as "I will have this together in 2 weeks."

As much as possible, the emergency kit supplies should be very comoact and lightweight, and multifunctional, and no unnecessary bulk or weight.

Line the bag with a heavy duty plastic bag, to keep contents dry. Bag sometimes can have other functions too.

Light weight poncho. If it has grommets, it might double as a small tent.

Light weight space age blanket.

One change of clothes and windbreaker.

Heavy wool socks.

Warm hat or cap.

Gloves.

A few hand warmer gel packs.

Multi-tool gadget. These have a knife, screwdrivers, wrench, can opener, all in one tool. One online also has a small hatchet and hammer. On line or campers store.

A small of paratrooper string.

A small roll of duct tape.

Sterile hand or diaper wipes.

A small travelor size hand sterilizer solution bottle.

Travelor size or hotel soap bar.

Toothbrush and toothpaste, travelor size.

Bandages, various.

Polysporin ointment.

A 3-day supply of any required medicine.

Maybe a few aspirin, tylenol, or ibuprofen in a waterproof pill bottle.

A couple of bandanas. Multifunction, can be bandage, sling, wrap, head protection. A bandana is like a towel for galaxy hitch-hikers.

A folded package of toilet paper.

For food.

Small light weight aluminum camper mess kit. Like we had in Army.

Mini camp stove - fueled by fuel pellets, more compact than sterno.

Butane lighter. Camper's dry matches kit.

Probably plastic spoon and fork, light weight, easy to clean.

Maybe some energy bars. A couple packages of ramen noodles. I like the "Tasty Bite" precooked lentils of rice and lentils. My packages expire in one year, so good shelf life and light weight. Maybe some roasted peanuts for energy and protein. Altogether, enough for 3 days of minimal sustenance. Maybe one treat, such as a package of Twinkies. I read those survive anything.

At least 3 liters of bottled water. Most people need one liter per day.

Water purification tablets. Available on Amazon. A backup, in case more time or water is needed, or the bottles leak. One should be heavy plastic bottle, such as a canteen, for re-use.

For communication, alarm, alerts-

Hand crank radio / usb charger. Some are solar and battery as well. Red cross and Amazon sell them.

A LED flashlight - maybe battery or crank operated. If lightweight enough, maybe an LED lantern.

A few light sticks - some stay bright for several hours.

A shrill whistle.

Cell phone charger cord.

It is not crazy to think one might need a pre-thought out and pre-assembled, portable kit, for emergencies and disasters. They happen in cities, suburbs, and rural areas.

Im just stream of consciousness thinking here. I have probably left things out. For 2nd or 3rd person, etc, some items need duplication and some do not.

These are also called "Bug Out Bag" because buggung out meant dropping everything and getting out impending disaster immediately. It should be kept somewhere that can be located immediately, such as front hall closet or bedroom closet.

Some people include a weapon but Im not going there. I think it would be as easy to use against us, as protect us.

I've had go bags for my family members for for over 20 years. I won't go into their contents but I just got to thinking....I've got over 30 bibles maybe I should throw one in for a good fire starter... It would be nice to have a REAL use for one.

I purchased 2 survival radios, but they didn't work for long. One died completely and one still works but only with batteries. The next one I buy will be one that has excellent reviews.

I watched the NY Times video on the many uses for condoms and thought it was interesting. I wondered about the price of condoms but gave up after 20 minutes on Amazon, and not finding any non-lubricated ones that were extra strong. Perhaps the thin ones are still good for some things.

I have 3 flashlights that uses a crank to charge the battery. I tend to forget to keep the battery charged, so I don't know how many still have a workable battery.

I also have a flashlight that lights 2 LEDs when the handle is squeezed constantly. It has no brand name. Just says "Made in China". I've had it for about 30 years and it still works, but I don't use it very often. It's the one on the bottom of the image below.

The flashlight on top is a "SARGE DUAL-POWER". It can run on 2 Lithium button cell batteries or can be shaken to light the LED. When it's shaken, a strong magnet goes back and forth through a coil of wire to generate a voltage. I've never been able to shake it in line with the light, so the spot of light goes all over the place. Not the best way to light something, but it does work in an emergency.

I must confess I have no disaster bag. The area I live in will never flood but it may flood around me in places. If something happened in my neighborhood like Puerto Rico the main concern would be good clean drinking water. Next is staying safe and staying warm. Food would be a big concern but you almost have to be within the situation to see your options there. Food might come from abandoned stores.Try and stay out of the water if power lines have come down because you might be electrocuted and killed. I can make fire if everything is dry, and a boat would be nice.

Some states allow emergency dispensing of drugs without a doctor's prescription in case of a disaster, but a lot of time it's not clearly spelled-out. Here's an article on the subject with all states policies: